Process of obtaining liquid products from coal and the like



Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL MELANIE, OF BERLIN-ZEHLENDOBF, GERMANY.

PROCESS OI OBTAINING LIQUID PRODUCTS FROM OOAL AND THE LIKE.

Io Drawing. Application filed December 5, 1924, Serial No. 754:}07, and in Germany November 17, 1921.

This invention has reference to a process of obtaining liquid products from coal or the like, and it is particularly distinguished from prior processes of this kind I, by its simplicity and facility of operation. In the previous methods for the liquefaction of coal the material is heated, as a rule, in the presence of hydrogen and under very high pressure. It has now been ascertained according to my invention that coal may be liquefied or converted into more easily, boiling compounds by submitting the same to a heating process in the presence of certain bodies acting. as catalyzers or dissociating or splitting agents. As such substances metals or metal alloys may be used which are liquid at the temperature of re-. action, such as tin or alloys of tin. The treatment is effected with or without pressure and in the presence of hydrogen or of hydrogen-containing or other protective gases. It may also be carried out by means of steam, methan or other vapors. In the practical operation of the process one may proceed by carrying on the reaction for instance in tin coated pieces of apparatus. The reaction may be proceeded with by charging a suitable and preferably tinned pressure vessel with, the carbon or coal, adding metallic tin, introducing hydrogen under pressure in contact therewith, and then heating for' several hours to a temperature of from about 300 to 600 degrees C. A

good yield of a thick liquid product is obtained in this manner which may be employed as a raw mate'rial for the manufac-' ture of lubricating oils and fuels. The mixture in the pressure vessel is preferably kept confined during the reaction, but distillation may he proceeded with, if desired, after the reaction has been completed for the separation of any volatile constituents.

Another modification of the carrying out of the process consists in spraying or atomd5 vessel wholly or partially filled with the splitting or dissociating agent by means of hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases. By the combined action of the liquid metal catalyst and of hydrogen or the like, a

izing the coal into or within a reaction greater yield of undecomposed low boiling, hydrocarbons can be obtained than by the old method of heating mixtures of carbon com ounds with oil in the presence of hydro en alone. & The process may for instance, be advan-. 1 tageously carried out by usin crude socalled brown-coal (lignite) which contains large quantities of water which are utilized Y with great advantage for assisting the reaction. Such raw brown-coal (lignite) is preferably used as a paste, and, 'in case the contents of water should not be high enough, either water is added, or an addition of mineral oils, tar oils or of other oils is made instead of water. This mixture is sprayed or injected into the reaction vessel charged with the catalyst, the water or oil contained in the mixture'serving as an .atomizing or injecting vehicle. The process may then be carried out with very small amounts of hydrogen or other protective gases and with or without pressure.

, The broad principle of the invention herein outlined admits of various modifications 7 and means of procedure within the meaning of the claimshereunto appended.

i I claim 1. The process of obtaining liquid products from coal and the like, which consists in heating the same with tin under pressure and at a temperature, substantially not exceeding 600 degrees Centigrade and toreing a current of hydrogen into the material during the heating thereof.

2. The process of obtainingliquid products trom coal and the like, which consists in heating the same in admixture-with mineral oil and tin, and introducing hydrogen into the mixture during the heatin .3. The process of obtainingliquid prodnote from coal and the like, which consists in heating the same in admixture with molten tin, and forcing a current of hydrogen into the heated mixture.

4. The process of obtaining liquid products from coal and the like, which consists in heating the same to a temperature, substantially not exceeding 600 degrees centigrade in admixture with a metal catalystlOO 6. The process of obtaining liquid products from coal, which consists in spraying comminuted solid coal by a current of hydrogen under pressure into contact with molten tin, and heating the resulting mixture of coal, hydrogen and tin.

MICHAEL MELAMID. 

